Indranee Rajah wraps up Budget and Committee of Supply 2024 debates
“You ran a tight ship, keeping close control over the process, yet allowing flexibility when needed. Under your efficient management, we covered much ground in nine days,” Leader of the House Indranee Rajah told Speaker Seah Kian Peng at the end of the debates on the Budget Statement and Committee of Supply in Parliament on Thursday (Mar 7). Sixty-one Members spoke during the two-and-a-half-day debate on the Budget Statement, with close to 70 hours of debate, while 598 cuts were covered over seven days of debate on the Committee of Supply. Ms Indranee noted that every year, one ministry will emerge as the “favourite” with the most number of cuts. This year, the “prize” goes to the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth. Ms Indranee pointed out that Budget 2024 was delivered on Feb 16, which coincidentally fell on the seventh day of the first month in the traditional Chinese calendar, also known as “every man’s birthday”. This is “fortuitous”, she said since Budget 2024 has something for everyone and everyone got a birthday present. More importantly, Budget 2024 gives “life and breath” to the plans in the Forward Singapore Report that Singaporeans collectively developed to build a shared future together, she said. Ms Indranee pointed out that while Budgets 2020 to 2023 helped Singapore get through the COVID-19 pandemic, the world in which Budget 2024 takes place is messier, more dangerous and more unpredictable. It provides a clear action plan to take Singapore forward into the future with optimism and hope, she said. She stressed that inclusivity is the glue on which unity is built. “By building on the previous Budgets and having something for everyone, Budget 2024 ensures that no one is left behind. At the same time, by creating opportunities and providing catalytic assistance to encourage and amplify individual effort, we are fostering a resilient and united Singapore,” said Ms Indranee.
“You ran a tight ship, keeping close control over the process, yet allowing flexibility when needed. Under your efficient management, we covered much ground in nine days,” Leader of the House Indranee Rajah told Speaker Seah Kian Peng at the end of the debates on the Budget Statement and Committee of Supply in Parliament on Thursday (Mar 7). Sixty-one Members spoke during the two-and-a-half-day debate on the Budget Statement, with close to 70 hours of debate, while 598 cuts were covered over seven days of debate on the Committee of Supply. Ms Indranee noted that every year, one ministry will emerge as the “favourite” with the most number of cuts. This year, the “prize” goes to the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth. Ms Indranee pointed out that Budget 2024 was delivered on Feb 16, which coincidentally fell on the seventh day of the first month in the traditional Chinese calendar, also known as “every man’s birthday”. This is “fortuitous”, she said since Budget 2024 has something for everyone and everyone got a birthday present. More importantly, Budget 2024 gives “life and breath” to the plans in the Forward Singapore Report that Singaporeans collectively developed to build a shared future together, she said. Ms Indranee pointed out that while Budgets 2020 to 2023 helped Singapore get through the COVID-19 pandemic, the world in which Budget 2024 takes place is messier, more dangerous and more unpredictable. It provides a clear action plan to take Singapore forward into the future with optimism and hope, she said. She stressed that inclusivity is the glue on which unity is built. “By building on the previous Budgets and having something for everyone, Budget 2024 ensures that no one is left behind. At the same time, by creating opportunities and providing catalytic assistance to encourage and amplify individual effort, we are fostering a resilient and united Singapore,” said Ms Indranee.
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